Anamorphic transfers of Vertigo and Psycho! See post #54 about new boxset.

I have been holding out on buying these two. They are two of my very favorite movies, and have not bought them due to a lack of anamorphic transfers. Who wants Universal to sprinkle some anamorphic zest on these movies?

It's probably one of the best B&W DVD's I've seen. It has a little bit of print damage, but it still is an incredible looking transfer.

Unless you have a 16x9 TV, it really won't make a big difference. Vertigo is basically flawless... it's only missing that extra 33% of resolution from being 16x9 enhanced. I feel the same way about non-16x9 DVD's like Young Frankenstein and The Abyss (which are both superb looking DVD's even in 2004). On the other hand, the non-16x9 DVD's of 2001 (MGM version) and Some Like It Hot are mediocre.

I don't see any reason to avoid them unless you expect to get a 16x9 TV in the near future or you already have one.

In addition to the anamorphic transfer, I would encourage Universal to include an original mono audio track. The current DD 5.1 track includes added and re-recorded sound effects and music that isn't always synced properly, also pushed to high volume levels.

Give us the choice of original (or as close as possible), and then if the studios want to play around with remixed sound, ok, but let the consumer have the original sound.

Yep - I avoid non-anamorphic widescreen DVDs at just about any cost. As a 16x9 owner, there is no greater sin than a recent non-anamorphic widescreen release. The new Ransom SE is a perfect example. They ain't getting my money.

I'd netflix those bad boys and watch them on my regular TV or computer.

While I would revisit PYSCHO with an improvement or format change being that it is one of my favorite titles, besides getting just the anamorphic enhancement, I would much prefer cast commentary from Janet Leigh and Vera Mills, being that they are the last two main stars remaining from this classic film.

While I agree that "in this day and age" a company that releases a non-anamorphic widescreen DVD ought to be summarily beaten for their trouble, I think it is foolish to avoid all non-anamorphic widescreen DVDs as a general rule. This is especially true of older DVDs, which will most likely not receive a new special edition treatment any time soon.

Conan The Destroyer is a good example, and one fresh in my head seeing as how I just watched it. While I wasn't impressed with the audio, the video was quite nice on my ISF calibrated set.

I guess what I'm saying is this: it seems like some people have equal distain for non-anamorphic DVDs as they do MAR DVDs. Now I'm not saying you do, but your quote above kinda brought it all home for me again.

In the end, I'll take a non-anamorphic OAR disc over a MAR one every day of the week and twice on Sundays. I'd prefer everything being enhanced for 16X9 TVs, but I'll settle for just plain correct OAR when I can't. The movie, as always, is what is most important to me.

Universal Blu-ray Discs I will not be buying while they're offered only as Blu-ray + DVD 'flipper' discs:

Luckily, I own an RP91 which does a more-than-decent job at zooming non-anamorphic widescreen DVDs. Vertigo ends up looking *nearly* as good as an anamorphic transfer. And has been said, anamorphic enhancement is a tool that, if used right, increases the quality of the picture. As DVD Beaver points out, anamorphic enhancement by itself isn't a guarantee of superior picture.

That said, I realize that not everyone has a superb scaler or an RP91, and I would double dip on a 16x9 enhanced transfer (done right, of course) in a heartbeat.

I will agree with those who say that the current region 1 dvds are amongst the very best looking out there. However, they aren't perfect.

In particular, on Vertigo, when Midge is in her car outside Scottie's apartment, there are video artifacts in her glasses, and then the same artifacts when Madeline exits his apartment. Other than that, the dvds are excellent quality, but that one section always bugs me.

"Movies should be like amusement parks. People should go to them to have fun." - Billy Wilder

"Subtitles good. Hollywood bad." - Tarzan, Sight & Sound 2012 voter.

"My films are not slices of life, they are pieces of cake." - Alfred Hitchcock"My great humility is just one of the many reasons that I...

That is true for any widescreen movie, anamorphic or not, since without a widescreen TV, or a TV that features widescreen enhancement, you don't get the benefit of either anamorphic or progressive scan.